Glee 1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just watch them on TV!**

_~Late November~_

"…..and then you turn the right wheel really fast." Quinn listened as Artie explained to Brittany how to complete one of the dance moves for _Proud Mary_. It was the seventh time he'd explained it to her since they'd boarded the bus to Sectionals fifteen minutes earlier.

"Thanks, Artie, but how do you…."

"Why don't I just talk you through the whole thing," Artie offered before Brittany had a chance to finish her question. His patience with her made Quinn smile, and she was glad they had raised the money for the bus Artie needed to ride with them. Besides, Quinn had spent the previous night at Brittany's and she welcomed the break from her incessant question asking.

Quinn stared out the window of the bus, absently running her hand over her slightly swollen abdomen in response to the soft kicks of the baby inside of her. For the past few weeks, she'd felt fluttering that she had passed off as digestion, but today the fluttering had turned into the unmistakable movements of a baby. In the beginning, Quinn took comfort in pretending that she wasn't pregnant. She passed her exhaustion off as a result of Cheerios and Glee Club and blamed her near constant nausea on bad cafeteria food. Now, thanks to her expanding waistline, ample amounts of baby daddy drama, and the kicks and rolls of the baby, her personal charade was over. Quinn felt the baby move again and wondered what had gotten her so riled up. Could she sense her nerves over Sectionals? Quinn was a competitor at heart and she wanted to win. She wanted to win for herself, for Mr. Schuester, and for her teammates. Most of all though, she wanted to win to show Coach Sylvester that she was wrong about Glee club, they were not a bunch of misfits and losers. Okay, maybe some of them were misfits, but somehow they had become _her _misfits. _Her _misfits?!? Quinn played with the phrase in her mind over and over again. At the beginning of the semester, her contact with the kids from Glee consisted solely of sending Rachel Berry mean messages through MySpace (a decidedly un-Christian thing to do) and possibly holding the door open for Artie, but only because it _was_ the Christian thing to do. Now though, only four short months later, they were the only people she had left in the world.

"Hi," Rachel Berry said, shaking Quinn from her thoughts, "mind if I sit?" She'd apparently had enough of sitting next to Jacob Ben Israel.

Quinn shook her head, "No."

"Thanks," Rachel smiled sweetly and slid into the seat next to Quinn. "I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am for telling Finn….."

"Rachel," Quinn interjected, making eye contact with Rachel so she'd know that she meant what she was saying, "it's okay, I forgive you. Like I said, you just did what I wasn't brave enough to do."

"I know, but I'm still really sorry."

"Look at it this way, that secret was killing me, so no matter how bad things seem now, it's better in the long run, okay? It's just better for everyone involved."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, and then began rummaging around in her bag, "I got you a little something. Well, really, I got her a little something." She indicated Quinn's belly and then placed a small pink present in Quinn's hand.

Quinn looked genuinely shocked, "Rachel, you didn't have to."

"I know," Rachel said smiling, "I wanted to. Open it!"

Quinn slowly unwrapped the present and found a beautiful ornament of a baby resting in a bassinet that read 'Baby's 1st Christmas'. "I was helping Mr. Schuester earlier this week with some stuff after Glee club and we were talking and he mentioned that every year when he was growing up, his parents bought him an ornament for their tree. I thought it sounded like a neat tradition to have."

Quinn's throat ached with unshed tears, "It's beautiful," she finally whispered, "but I don't know if….."

"I know you don't know if you're going to keep her, Quinn. But it doesn't matter, right now she is yours and this is technically her first Christmas. This time will always be important to you, no matter what you decide to do when she's born."

"Thank you," Quinn managed to choke out, despite the tears that were now running freely down her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to look at Rachel, but she felt her take her hand and squeeze it.

"You don't have to do this alone, Quinn."

Quinn continued to stare at her lap, "I do."

"Why?"

Quinn sighed heavily, "Because I screwed up. I don't deserve anyone's help."

"You made a mistake, but no one is perfect, not even me."

Quinn laughed in spite of herself. There was the Rachel Berry she knew. "I made a lot of mistakes. My parents have disowned me, Finn hates me, and Puck spends all his time sending dirty text messages to Santana."

"Well, Puck is an immature teenage boy who doesn't know what he wants. Finn's understandably angry but he'll forgive you one day, because he's Finn. And I know it's not really any of my business, but I think your parents are horrible for the way they've treated you. What you're doing is brave, they should recognize that."

"I don't feel very brave."

"You are," Rachel assured her, "you don't _have_ to be doing any of this, but you are, for your daughter."

Quinn felt fresh tears welling in her eyes. No one had ever referred to the baby as her daughter before. "She deserves a chance," she said, placing her hand protectively on her belly.

Rachel smiled, "She does. And you deserve our help. Please let us give you that."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Quinn asked, finally looking up to meet Rachel's eyes. "I was horrible to you."

"I know you were, but you need a friend and I know what that feels like. You're not as bad as you like everyone to think you are. I know you're the reason Glee Club got the full page spread in the yearbook."

Quinn looked surprised, "No one was supposed to know about that."

"I have my ways," Rachel said with a shrug. "Face it, Quinn. You like us and we like you too. Embrace it."

"Well," Quinn hesitated, "I did sign up for some childbirth classes at the hospital. I don't really want to go by myself and you're supposed to bring a partner."

"Perfect, I'll go with you." Rachel exclaimed, sounding more enthusiastic about childbirth classes than probably any person ever had before. Quinn experienced a brief moment of panic as she imagined Rachel taking control of her entire pregnancy and trying to run the show, as she did so often in Glee Club. She imagined Rachel putting headphones on her belly and playing show tunes for the baby. Her panic passed quickly though, when she realized that it didn't really matter. She had someone in her corner now, and that was all she needed. "You're sleeping on the couch at Brittany's house, right?"

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, for now."

"Well, that just won't do. We have a spare bedroom at my house. You're coming to stay with me." Rachel didn't ask, she demanded.

"Rachel, I don't know….." Quinn said hesitantly.

"You can't sleep on a couch for the rest of your pregnancy, Quinn! That's ridiculous! It won't be good for your back, or for the baby."

Quinn recognized a determination in Rachel's voice that wasn't so different from her own when she set out to get something that she wanted. At that moment, she realized that some of the traits that made Rachel an obnoxious teammate probably also made her a really good friend. She knew Rachel wouldn't give up until she agreed and Quinn was too exhausted to go head to head with her at the moment. "Alright, that's very nice of you."

"Good!" Rachel said, clapping her hands excitedly. "You can move your stuff later today if you want."

"I'll have to tell Britt..." Quinn broke off mid-sentence. "Whoa," she exclaimed, her hand flying to her abdomen.

Rachel's eyes grew wide in panic, "What is it? Are you okay? Do you want me to get Ms. Pillsbury?"

"No," Quinn smiled, "I'm fine. She just kicked really hard!"

"Oh, wow." Rachel was visibly relieved.

"Do you want to feel?" Quinn was already reaching for Rachel's hand. She took it and pressed it firmly to the spot where the baby's movements were concentrated.

Rachel smiled broadly as her palm was met with a firm kick, "I think she'll be a good dancer one day. She has strong legs."

"Maybe she will," Quinn smiled softly. They rode in silence for a few minutes before Quinn spoke up again, "Hey, Rachel?" she asked, studying the ornament in her hands.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you Jewish?"

"Yeah, but I figured you wouldn't appreciate a Menorah quite as much as an ornament for your tree."

Quinn laughed, and then, in a moment that made Kurt fear the Apocalypse was coming, threw her arms around Rachel's shoulders and gave her a tight hug, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," and she couldn't help but smile.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please leave me a review so I know! And if you didn't, tell me that as well!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I still don't own them!**

"You've got a piece of me, and honestly my life would suck without you," Rachel and Quinn both sang along to the Kelly Clarkson song that was blaring from Quinn's car stereo as they left the McKinley High parking lot. They had just gotten off the bus after Sectionals and were still exhilarated from their win.

"Hey," Rachel said, reaching over to turn down the music. "I think we should put together a routine for Mr. Schuester using this song and perform it for him on Monday. You know, to thank him."

"That's a good idea. I think he'd really like it."

"I can storyboard the choreography as soon as we get home!" Quinn could hear the excitement in Rachel's voice.

Quinn laughed, "I think you missed your calling as a choreographer."

Rachel shrugged, "I'm multi-talented. I like to have my hands in all aspects of a project!"

"I've noticed," Quinn replied with a slight giggle and shake of her head. "Oh, shoot."

"What's wrong?"

"I just remembered I don't have any of my stuff with me."

"That's okay, let's just go by Brittany's and get it."

"It's not there; I only took an overnight bag to her house. Most of my stuff is still at Finn's."

"Oh, well, I could go in for you and get it. You know, if you don't feel like facing him right now."

Quinn shrugged, "It's not that. I'm just pretty sure I'm the last person in the world Finn wants at his house."

"I think that person is Puck," Rachel pointed out. "Besides, it's your stuff, he can't hold it hostage."

Quinn though for a minute, "Do you have something I could borrow for the night?"

"Of course, but we're going by Finn's, I just texted him."

"Rachel…." Quinn sounded slightly annoyed.

"It's okay, he said he didn't mind. I'll go in and get it for you."

Quinn sighed and turned on her right blinker to head down Finn's street, "Okay, thank you."

When they pulled up outside of Finn's house, he was standing on the front porch with Quinn's suitcases waiting for them.

"Hey, Finn, "Rachel said as she bounded up to him, her breath visible in the cold night air.

"Hi," he replied with a sad smile. God, how she loved his smile.

"Is this it?" Rachel indicated the two suitcases sitting at Finn's feet.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Her dad only gave her 30 minutes to pack."

"Right," Rachel nodded. They stood in awkward silence for a moment, staring at each other. "Well, I better go. Quinn's waiting."

"How is she?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "I mean, I know she's okay because I just saw her and all and she looked good. But is she really okay?"

Leave it to Finn to care about someone even when he was really mad at them. Rachel mentally added that fact to her long growing list of reasons she loved Finn Hudson. "She's scared and she feels really bad that she hurt you, but she's okay. She let me feel the baby kick on the way to Sectionals!"

Finn's face lit up for a moment, "She kicked?"

Rachel smiled and nodded, "I think she's going to be a dancer one day, she's got strong legs!"

"That's good," Finn replied, and Rachel knew he meant it. "You better go, it's cold out here," He said when he noticed her shiver.

"Yeah," Rachel said as she bent to pick up the suitcases. She struggled a bit to straighten herself, surprised by their weight.

"Here, let me help you."

Rachel smiled and allowed Finn to take the heavier of the two suitcases, "I guess she packed a lot in that half hour."

"Yeah," Finn followed her to the car. His heart sank when she opened the door to the back seat as opposed to the trunk because he'd have to talk to Quinn.

"Hey, Finn," she said softly when he appeared at the door.

"Hey," he said with a nod, shoving her suitcases into the back seat.

Quinn turned around so she was facing him, her eyes searching his face, trying desperately to get him to make eye contact with her. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "For everything."

Finn nodded, shut the door, and started to walk back up his driveway to his house. He had only taken a few steps when he turned around and caught Rachel's arm just as she was about to climb into the car. "Take good care of them for me, okay?" he whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear. He didn't wait for an answer before turning away.

"I will," Rachel called after him.

"What was that all about?" Quinn was quizzing Rachel before she even had a chance to buckle her seatbelt.

Rachel smiled, "He asked me to take care of you, both of you."

It was dark in the car, but Rachel could tell that Quinn's eyes were shiny with tears, "Oh."

* * *

Quinn lingered in the car once they pulled into Rachel's driveway. "Are you sure your parents are okay with this?"

Rachel nodded confidently, "I'm positive. We have plenty of space and my dads are always willing to help out a friend. Come on, let's go."

"Alright," Quinn followed Rachel to the front door and inside the house. It was warm and comforting and smelled like fresh baked cookies.

"Rachel, honey, is that you?" a voice called from what Quinn assumed had to be the living room.

"Yeah, dad, it's me and Quinn."

"Well get in here girls, we're just watching a little TV." A different voice with a strong southern drawl replied.

"We're coming, daddy, just taking off our coats."

Hmm, Quinn thought to herself, dad and daddy. She had often wondered how children with gay parents kept their names straight.

"Come on," Rachel said, taking Quinn's hand and dragging her behind her, "it's this way. Oh, and I have to warn you, they're big huggers."

Quinn laughed, "That's okay."

Both men stood when the girls walked into the living room, one of them had light skin and the other dark. "Congratulations on your win!" Rachel's light skinned father said, embracing Rachel in a tight squeeze.

"Thanks, dad, we worked really hard."

"And you must be Quinn," he said, letting go of Rachel and moving to hug Quinn. She stiffened a little at first, but his hug was strong and solid and he smelled nice and Quinn couldn't help but sink into him out of sheer relief. "I'm Adam," he introduced himself.

"And my name is Matthew," Rachel's darker skinned father said once Adam had released Quinn from his hug, moving to hug her himself. "We're really glad you're here." He said with a southern drawl.

"Thank you both so much, I really appreciate it."

"Well, you don't worry about a thing, sweetheart. Rachel told us about your situation with your parents and you're welcome to stay here as long as you like." Adam said.

Quinn's cheeks flushed at the notion that the entire town of Lima seemed to know her family business, but she was in too desperate a situation to care.

"There are chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen and you girls are welcome to order a pizza if you're hungry."

"Sorry, we don't cook much, Quinn" Matthew apologized.

"That's alright," Quinn smiled softly, "I like pizza."

"Good. Rachel honey, will you go order them?" Adam asked, settling back onto the couch.

"Of course," Rachel replied before bounding out of the room, leaving Quinn standing in awkward silence with her fathers.

"Have a seat, Quinn," Adam patted the couch cushion beside him. "I'm sure you've been on your feet quite a bit today."

Quinn nodded, "Thank you," she said as she settled onto the cushion.

"I know you don't know me and it's really not my place, but I did want you to know that I've been down the same road as you," Matthew said, placing one of his hands on top of Quinn's. She couldn't help but smile, because it sounded so much like something Rachel might say before she stuck her nose in to someone else's business. "I was raised in a strict Southern Baptist family, and they kicked me out when I told them I was gay."

Quinn's heart was heavy with sympathy for the man who was being so kind to her, "I'm sorry."

Matthew nodded, "Me too, I'm always sorry when family turns their back on one another because of something beyond their control." He looked pointedly at Quinn.

"Did you ever make up with them?" Quinn asked quietly, searching for hope that maybe her story could have a happy ending one day too.

He smiled, "Eventually."

By this time, Rachel had come back into the living room, "Want a cookie?" She asked before placing one in Quinn's hand. It was still warm and soft from the oven.

"Let us let you in on a little secret about parents, Quinn."

"What?" She asked Adam.

"They love their kids, no matter what they do or what they say."

Quinn shrugged, "It doesn't feel like that right now."

"I know, but they'll realize their mistake and come around eventually."

Quinn turned to look at Matthew, "What made your parents realize their mistake?"

He smiled and wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulder, "They came around right about the time grandkids started coming into the picture. That's another secret about parents; few can resist a new grandbaby, regardless of the circumstances surrounding them."

"I hope you're right."

Matthew smiled gently, "I usually am," he replied. So that's where Rachel gets it from, Quinn thought to herself.

* * *

Quinn felt a lot like a princess who had been saved from a dragon by a brave knight as Adam carried her suitcases upstairs for her. "I'll let Rachel show you around and help get you settled," he said, depositing her stuff outside of a closed bedroom door. "We'll be downstairs if you need anything."

"Okay," Rachel said, pushing open the door to the room. "This is where you'll be staying." The room was spacious but cozy, with soft pink walls and a big comfortable bed. It looked more like an actual bedroom than a guest room, with some posters on the walls and pictures lining the dresser. "Sorry about the stuff, it was my sister's room."

Sister? Quinn was certain that Rachel was an only child. "I didn't know you had a sister."

Rachel shrugged, "You never asked."

Quinn looked down sheepishly, "Right. Will she mind?"

Rachel shook her head, "She doesn't use it any more."

It was unlike Rachel to be so cryptic. Quinn almost asked if she was away at college, but sensed it was a subject Rachel was not interested in talking about.

"The bathroom's right there," she pointed to a door, "it connects to my room too, so we'll have to share. I hope that's okay."

"It's fine, really." Quinn assured her.

"Well, the pizza will be here soon. We can eat it up here if you want, watch a movie or something."

Quinn smiled sincerely, "That sounds like fun. Do you mind if I put on my pajamas first? The baby really saps my energy." She rested her hand on her belly.

"Of course not," Rachel said before leaving the room.

Quinn pulled her dress over her head and slipped on her t-shirt and pajama bottoms. The shirt, which had clung to her body perfectly before was having trouble stretching to accommodate her growing belly, so she tugged on it a bit in hopes of covering the small sliver of her bare abdomen. It popped back up out of place after each tug, frustrating Quinn. She finally grabbed her Cheerios sweatshirt out of her bag and put it on to cover her belly.

"Hey," Quinn said as she appeared in the doorway to Rachel's bedroom. She had changed into her pajamas as well and was perched on her bed, a box of pizza in front of her.

"Want to sit?" Rachel asked, patting the bed beside her.

"Sure," Quinn's bare feet padded across the floor and she hopped on to Rachel's bed. "I really like your dads. They're so nice."

Rachel smiled proudly, "They like you too."

Quinn sighed contently, relieved to be staying somewhere where her 'situation' was not front and center the entire time. "So, what are you doing?"

"I was just seeing what I had recorded on Tivo. Do you like _Grey's Anatomy_?"

Quinn nodded eagerly, "I watch it every week."

"Me too," Rachel said excitedly.

Later that night, once the pizza was gone and the episode of _Grey's Anatomy _was over and Quinn was so tired she could barely hold her head up, she told Rachel goodnight and headed to her room. She snuggled into the soft sheets and fell asleep faster than she had in months.

* * *

Quinn woke up the next morning with an all too familiar feeling in her throat. She jumped out of bed and dashed into the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet and pulling her hair back at the same time. She had gotten very good at holding her hair back since she never had anyone to do it for her. Finn had followed her into the girl's bathroom at school once and tried to hold her hair for her, but he started to dry heave as soon as she began gagging, and she yelled at him and kicked him out. Then one time Ms. Pillsbury had heard her gagging and stood outside the door saying mildly comforting things until Quinn was done. Afterwards, she patted her arm and offered her some water, but Quinn didn't think that counted for much. Quinn coughed and gagged, unable to avoid the inevitable any longer. She was surprised when she heard the door to the bathroom open and felt someone holding her hair for her.

"Poor thing," Rachel rubbed small circles on Quinn's back and sat by her until she was done.

"Sorry," Quinn finally said, batting the tears from her eyes.

"It's okay," Rachel assured her, "You can't help it."

"But it's disgusting. Besides, I'm sure I woke you up."

Rachel was busy wetting a washcloth at the sink, but she waved her hand in dismissal, "I like to get up early." She knelt next to Quinn and dabbed the cool cloth on her forehead.

"I think I'm going to be sick again," Quinn quickly moved back to her position over the toilet.

"Okay," Rachel said soothingly as she pulled Quinn's hair back out of her face.

"False alarm," Quinn said after a few minutes, sinking back down and resting her back against the wall.

Rachel looked worried, "Are you okay now?"

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

"I can go down stairs and get you some crackers and ginger ale if you want."

"That would be really nice," Quinn replied with a tired smile. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall when Rachel left, trying to remember why she was never friends with her in the first place.

**A/N- Thanks to those of you who read and reviewed my first chapter. Please continue to do so!! I hope you enjoyed this one!**


	3. Chapter 3

_~December~_

Quinn sat in the choir room, listening to Rachel passionately discussing with Mr. Schuester what New Directions needed to do in order to beat Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals. Well, it started out as a discussion anyway, but had quickly digressed into Rachel telling Mr. Schue what they needed to do.

"Thank you, Rachel, I'll take your suggestions into consideration," his voice was patient.

"That's all I ask," Rachel said, taking her seat next to Quinn.

"Well, guys," Mr. Schuester was interrupted by a ringing bell, "I guess that's it. Have a safe and happy holiday and come back in January ready to get back to work." It was the last day of school before the holiday break, and Quinn was anxious to return to the safety of the Berry house where there was no Finn, no Puck, and no one to stare at her baby bump.

"Don't worry Mr. Schue, I'll be practicing every day until we come back," Rachel boasted confidently. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I don't doubt that you will, Rach." He said with a chuckle. "Quinn?" Mr. Schuester gently pulled her aside as she walked past him to leave the choir room.

"Yeah Mr. Schuester?"

"Can you stay for a few minutes? I need to talk to you about something important."

Quinn's heart rate quickened. What could Mr. Schuester possibly need to talk to her about? "Umm…" Quinn hesitated, "Rachel rode with me to school today. I'd hate to make her wait."

"It's okay," Rachel said, coming up to stand beside Quinn, "I don't mind waiting."

"Thanks, Rachel," Will smiled, "I won't keep her too long."

"Take your time," Rachel replied before turning to leave the room.

"Do you want some hot chocolate or something?" he asked once Rachel left the room. He was fidgeting nervously behind the piano.

"No thank you."

"Okay then, take a seat," he pulled out a chair for Quinn and then sat directly across from her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Quinn felt the baby tumble inside of her, and silently begged her to be still so she could concentrate on what Mr. Schuester was saying.

"No, no, of course not," he patted her hand reassuringly. "I don't really know how to say this…." Will paused and was quiet for so long that Quinn began to wonder if he'd forgotten what he wanted to say. "I found out about Terri and the baby. We're not together right now and we certainly can't take her from you." His eyes were sad, and Quinn's own eyes stung with tears.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Schuester," she finally managed to choke out. "I never wanted you to get hurt."

Will felt like his heart would break as he watched Quinn sob, her face red and her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. He wanted so badly to take away all her pain and all the grown-up stuff she had to deal with so she could just be a kid again. "Shhhh," he soothed, pulling Quinn into a tight hug, "none of this is your fault. I'm sorry Terri got you wrapped up in all this mess."

Quinn's voice was soft, muffled by tears and Will's shirt. "I just wanted her to have a good father. Girls need their daddies." She pulled away so she could look at him, "You're going to be a really good dad one day, Mr. Schue."

He smiled in an attempt to hide the tears that were welling in his own eyes, but Quinn saw them anyway, "Thank you, Quinn. That really means a lot to me."

Quinn sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks with her sleeve, "I don't know if I can trust anyone else with her." She encircled her arms around her belly protectively.

"Quinn," Will said, handing her a tissue, "there are a lot of couples out there who would love your little girl like she was their own, if that's what you want."

"I don't know what I want."

"I think you need to take some time and try to figure that out without anyone else's influence. Not Terri's, not Puck's, not Finn's, and not your parents. This is your decision, and I know you know it's a really big one."

Quinn nodded, "The biggest."

"I'd like to help you whatever you decide, whether that means putting you in touch with an adoption agency, installing a car seat in your car, or babysitting her for the night."

"Thank you, Mr. Schue." she smiled softly.

"Are you going to be alright?"

She nodded, "Are you?"

"Getting there," he answered honestly. "Listen, if you need anything over the break, please let me know."

"I will," she replied. "Have a good Christmas, Mr. Schue," Quinn hugged him before turning to leave.

"You too, Quinn."

* * *

"You ready?" Quinn asked, walking up to Rachel. She was sitting propped up against a wall, inspecting the ends of her hair and looking extremely bored.

"Yep," Rachel said without looking up. When she did, she was met with Quinn's eyes, puffy and red. "What happened?" she asked jumping to her feet.

"Nothing," Quinn lied.

"Quinn," Rachel pleaded, "tell me." There was a certain tone in her voice that told Quinn she wouldn't quit until she got an answer.

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone," Quinn warned seriously.

"I won't," Rachel promised. Quinn stared her down, making sure she was telling the truth, "I swear on Barbra Streisand's life, I won't!"

"Okay," Quinn scanned the hallway to make sure no one was around to hear. "I was going to give Mrs. Schuester the baby, you know, because I thought Mr. Schue would be a really good dad. But they've got some stuff going on at home now and they can't take her."

Rachel's eyes grew wide, "But I thought Mrs. Schuester was going to have a baby." Quinn shook her head and realization dawned on Rachel. "Oh. Oh, my God, poor Mr. Schue!"

"I know."

"Are _you_ okay?"

Quinn sighed heavily and nodded, "Yeah, I am. I honestly wasn't so sure I was making the right decision anyway."

Rachel nodded understandingly, "You still have some time."

"Four months," she said, lightly tapping her belly.

"You'll figure it out," Rachel said reassuringly.

Quinn shrugged, "I hope so."

"Hey you two," Tina appeared suddenly, followed by Artie and Mercedes.

"Hi," Rachel waved.

"We were just going to get some milkshakes," Artie explained, "Do you guys want to come."

Rachel looked at Quinn hopefully. It was getting harder and harder to convince her to go anywhere besides school, home, or the doctor's office, and Rachel knew that she was often exhausted by the end of the day. "We'd love to," Quinn smiled at Artie. Rachel smiled too, because for the first time in a very long time, she felt included in something other than a club.

* * *

"Rise and shine," Rachel chirped, bursting into Quinn's room. "It's almost 11 and we have a busy day today!" Rachel had been up since 6. Quinn knew this because she'd heard her on her elliptical machine listening to the _Wicked _soundtrack on repeat.

Quinn groaned and pulled the covers over her head, sinking further into the warm softness of the bed, "Go away, I'm tired." The bed beside her sunk in a little as Rachel sat down.

"You're not tired, you're depressed," Rachel quipped back. Quinn couldn't disagree with her. Of course she was depressed; her world was literally crumbling around her. It was December and instead of celebrating Christmas with her family, she was with the Berry's, eating dinner with them and watching each night as they lit their Menorah. As kind as they were to her, they still weren't family. She felt like she'd stepped through the looking glass into some strange alternate world.

"Okay," Quinn said, pulling the covers off her face and looking and Rachel, "maybe I am depressed. It's Christmas time and I miss my family and last night I popped the button on the last pair of jeans that still fit me. You'd be depressed too!"

"That's why you have to get up. We're going shopping for some maternity clothes."

Quinn sighed "I don't have any money for clothes."

"I know. Here," she placed a small present, neatly wrapped in Hanukkah paper, into Quinn's hands, "it's from me and my dads."

"Rachel, your family has done more than enough for me," Quinn said as she unwrapped the present. Inside was a gift card to the nice maternity store at the mall.

"It's for the baby, for Hanukkah. She is half Jewish you know." Rachel winked at Quinn.

Quinn blinked back tears and silently cursed her hormones for making her cry at the drop of a hat, "This is so sweet, but it's really too much."

Rachel shook her head, "No it's not, my dads said they never had to buy maternity clothes before. They're just making up for it now."

Quinn laughed and threw her arms around Rachel's neck to hug her, "Thank you."

* * *

"Try this, this, and…." Kurt held a pink and navy striped sweater up to Quinn, seeing how the color would look on her, "this one." He pushed her towards the dressing room.

"Thanks again for doing this, Kurt," Rachel said.

Kurt shrugged, trying to ignore the row of nursing bras lining the wall on the way to the dressing room. "This is incredibly awkward, but you know I can't resist a good makeover and I've been dying to get my hands on Quinn. I knew those baby doll dresses would only work for so long."

"They still fit!" Quinn shouted from behind the dressing room door defensively, "it's just too cold to wear them."

"Well, by the time it warms back up, those dresses certainly won't fit." Kurt called back.

Quinn groaned, "Please don't remind me."

Rachel smacked his arm, "Be nice!" she hissed.

"Hey, I think I need this sweater in a smaller size. Would one of you mind going to get it?"

"I'll go," Kurt said, "I'd hate for you to come back with a sweater with a puppy on it," he looked pointedly at Rachel. "Poor Quinn has enough problems without you dressing her."

"I don't have a sweater with a puppy on it, it's a horse!" Rachel called after him. She heard Quinn trying to stifle a laugh.

Kurt quickly returned with the sweater and handed it over the door to Quinn. "Well?" he said after a few minutes, "Let's see!"

Quinn sighed, "Okay," she said, slowly opening the door. She had on dark wash jeans and the sweater Kurt had picked out for her. The clothes clung nicely to her body, accentuating her baby bump instead of concealing it.

"Wow," Kurt said, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"I know, I'm huge."

"You're not!" Rachel quickly assured her.

Quinn examined herself in the mirror, running her hand over the surface of her belly and turning sideways to look at her profile. She _looked_ pregnant, condemned to wear her mistake for the whole world to see for the next four months. She felt fresh tears beginning to form in her eyes, and again cursed her hormones.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked when he noticed Quinn's eyes shining.

"I'm wearing jeans with an elastic panel!" she exclaimed in a half whine, half cry.

"Oh, honey," Kurt said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her cheek, "elastic or not, you look beautiful!"

Kurt's kindness only made her cry more, because for the first time in a long time, Quinn actually believed it when a boy told her she was beautiful.

* * *

"We're home," Rachel called into a seemingly empty house, struggling to get through the door with the numerous shopping bags they'd acquired at the mall.

"And exhausted," Quinn said to no one in particular. "I've never seen Kurt move so fast."

Rachel laughed, "The boy likes to shop."

Adam appeared in the entryway to the house, "We tend to." He said with a lighthearted chuckle

"Hey, dad," Rachel greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Looks like you girls had a successful shopping trip," he said, taking bags from both Rachel and Quinn.

"We did, Mr. Berry. I really can't thank you enough."

"Adam," he corrected her, "and it really is our pleasure."

"Are y'all going to get in here and help me?" Matthew called from the living room.

"Help with what?" Rachel asked.

"Come on, I'll show you," Adam said. Then he turned his attention to Quinn, "Close your eyes."

"Okay….." Quinn complied reluctantly. She felt Adam take her hand as he began to lead her through the house. Allowing someone to lead you blindly into the darkness was an exercise in complete trust that Quinn was never very comfortable with. When she was in Brownies and had to participate in similar exercises, eight year old Quinn always peaked, convinced the girl in front of her was going to walk her straight into a tree.

"You can open your eyes now." When Quinn did, she was standing directly in front of a gorgeous Christmas tree with sparkly white and pink lights strung all over it. The lights blurred and wobbled as tears filled her eyes, flowing onto her cheeks and gluing her long, dark eyelashes together. "You girls too tired from shopping to help us decorate it?"

"No way," Rachel replied enthusiastically.

"Quinn?" Matthew asked, coming up beside her and putting his arm around her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Quinn nodded, "It's beautiful. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Adam smiled, "We'll use just about anything as an excuse to decorate."

"It's not….um…..against your religion, is it?" Quinn felt stupid for asking.

"Sweetheart, God doesn't care if we have a tree in our living room. We do have to draw the line at a nativity set though." He winked at her playfully and it made her smile.

"There's some popcorn in the kitchen if you want to string it, or eat it for that matter. We ordered some takeout and there are sugar cookies on the counter."

"We're just going to go grab a few more things, you two start decorating. There are a lot of branches to fill." Matthew said before leaving the room with Adam.

Rachel walked forward and stood beside Quinn, "You like it?"

"I love it," Quinn said, wrapping both her arms around Rachel's shoulders and giving her a sideways hug. "Your idea?"

Rachel shook her head, "I have to give credit where credit is due. It was all them."

"Your dads are pretty special."

Rachel smiled proudly, "I think so."

"Guess we should get started," Quinn stated, staring at the large tree in front of her.

"Here, you do the honors." Rachel picked up the baby's first Christmas ornament she'd given to Quinn and placed it in her hand.

"Okay," she walked up to the tree, holding the ornament up to a branch, "here?"

"Perfect!"

Quinn smiled and then reached for Rachel's hand, pressing it to her belly, "I think she likes it."

Rachel beamed as she felt Quinn's stomach move beneath her hand, "Baby Fabray approves!"

"Looking good, ladies," Matthew said, coming back into the room. "I think this party needs a little music though." He pointed a remote at the CD player and soon, the room was filled with music. Adam took Rachel's hand and started to dance with her and she laughed as he cradled her in his arms, swaying to the music. Soon, Matthew cut in, and Rachel was spinning around the room with him. Quinn watched them together, and realized just how different Rachel's personality was when she was at home, surrounded by love, a stark contrast to Rachel at school. Before she knew it, Quinn herself was wrapped in Adams arms, twirling around the room, the baby inside her seeming to move in time with the music.

Later that night, after hours of eating and decorating and laughing so hard it made Quinn's stomach hurt, the two girls sat exhausted on the couch, admiring their work.

"What do you think about the gold stars? Too many?"

Quinn smiled, eyeing the tree. Rachel had insisted on adorning it with a multitude of gold stars. Normally, Quinn would have found it obnoxious, but the gold stars seemed to fit the tree perfectly. "I think it's just right."

Rachel nodded, "It is a nice tree, isn't it?"

"One of the prettiest I've ever seen," Quinn agreed.

Rachel sighed, "I'm exhausted. Next time we go shopping with Kurt, remind me to take a nap first."

"Seriously!" Quinn said with a laugh.

"I think I'm going to head up to bed. Are you coming?"

"In a few minutes, I'm just going to grab a drink first."

"Okay. Goodnight, Quinn."

"Night, Rachel." Quinn tiptoed quietly into the kitchen, afraid she would wake Rachel's fathers. She opened the refrigerator, scanning the shelves in search of the apple juice.

"Tonight was a lot of fun," she heard Adam's voice say from behind their closed bedroom door. She tried not to listen, but couldn't help but hear their conversation

"It was. It's really nice to have two girls in the house again." Matthew drawled.

"Certainly feels like the way things should be." Adam's voice was heavy with sadness.

"I think it's good for Rachel to have her here. Good for all of us, really."

Quinn finished pouring her juice and quickly shoved the bottle back into the refrigerator, anxious to get away from the private conversation she was never meant to hear.

* * *

It was one o'clock on Christmas Eve and Quinn was sprawled out on Rachel's bed while they watched American Idol together. Quinn was watching anyway. Rachel spent most of the time yelling at the judges and the contestants. Sometimes she yelled at both of them at the same time. American Idol season made for many noisy nights in the Berry household.

"Come on, Simon, her range is terrible! She was sharp _and_ flat! Why are you putting her through? I can sing a thousand times better than her when I have a COLD!"

"You're right," Quinn agreed, mainly because it was true, but also because Rachel expected her to. "She sucks." Quinn couldn't help but think what she'd be doing if she were home. If she were home, she'd be listening her older sister Katherine talk about how wonderful her husband is while she helped her mom mash the potatoes for dinner. There would be Christmas music playing in the background and her dad would dance her around the Christmas tree like he did every year. She'd be wearing a nice dress and her hair would be perfectly curled. They'd go to Christmas Eve service together, and then come home to open one present each, always a new pair of pajamas. Instead, she was listening to Rachel talk about how horrible the contestants on American Idol are, her hair was a mess, she was still wearing her pajamas, she was pretty sure they'd be eating Chinese takeout for dinner, and she would certainly not be stepping foot anywhere near a church that night. It was not a Christmas Eve routine she was accustomed to, but at least she wasn't alone.

_I think I'll try defying gravity, kiss me good-bye I'm defying gravity. _Rachel's phone rang, shaking Quinn from her thoughts.

"Hello?" Rachel said, "Oh, yeah, she's right here." She pushed her phone towards Quinn, "It's for you."

"Hello?"

"Quinn?" Artie's voice came through the earpiece.

"Hi, Artie. How are you?"

"I'm good," he sounded shy. Quinn suspected he hadn't talked to many girls on the phone before. "You?"

Quinn looked at the swell of her abdomen, "Good, all things considered."

"Oh, right. Anyway, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come to Christmas Eve service with me and my family tonight. I know how important it is to you and I kind of figured you wouldn't want to go to your church……"

Artie didn't strike Quinn as the Christmas Eve service going type, but if she'd learned anything over the past few months it was that people were not just what they seemed to be. "Artie, that's really nice of you, but I think I'm just going to stay in with Rachel's family tonight." Quinn was genuinely touched. "I'm just not sure I'm up for it."

"I understand," he sounded disappointed and it broke Quinn's heart. "I know it must be hard for you."

"It really…." Before Quinn could finish her sentence, Rachel had taken the phone from her hand and pressed it to her own ear.

"Artie? It's Rachel. We'll be there."

"I thought you were Jewish."

"I am. Just text me the address and we'll be there."

"Okay….." Artie said reluctantly before hanging up the phone.

"Rachel!" Quinn scolded one she hung up the phone, "I don't want to go."

"I know your faith is important to you, Quinn. You shouldn't let your pregnancy stand in the way of that."

"My faith is the reason my parents kicked me out!"

"Your parents kicking you out had nothing to do with your faith and everything to do with the fact that they realized they couldn't control your every move anymore." Rachel could see that her words had stung Quinn and she immediately regretted saying them.

"Premarital sex is a sin."

"I'm pretty sure your parents kicking you out trumps you getting drunk and sleeping with Puck any day."

"Look, I appreciate your support, but I honestly cannot deal with an entire congregation staring at me tonight. My hair is dirty, I'm exhausted, I have to pee every 10 minutes, and my back is killing me. I don't want to go to Christmas Eve service."

"You can take a shower and a nap, and we'll sit close to the bathroom."

"Rachel…." Quinn said in a voice that would have told just about anyone else in the world that it was time to stop.

"We're going," she insisted.

"You're JEWISH!" Quinn raised her voice in exasperation.

"And you're my friend and you need some support. So I'm going to go with you."

Quinn sighed and shook her head. In her sixteen years of life, she'd never met anyone who was unwilling to fold to her until she met Rachel Berry. "Fine, whatever, I'll go."

Rachel clapped her hands and smiled, obviously pleased. "You won't regret it!"

* * *

"I still don't know about this, Rachel." They were sitting in Quinn's car outside of Artie's church. It was smaller than the one Quinn and her family attended, but very beautiful.

"It'll be fine, let's go."

Quinn reluctantly followed Rachel into the cold night air, pulling her pea coat tightly around her in an attempt to conceal her baby bump. They walked into a gathering area outside the sanctuary and immediately spotted Artie.

"Hey," he said rolling over to them, "I'm glad you changed your mind."

Quinn almost said that she technically _didn't _change her mind, but decided against it. "Me too."

"Artie," a small girl appeared beside him, "who are they?"

"These are my friends, Rachel and Quinn. This is my sister, McKenna." She grinned at them and waved. She was basically a miniature Artie in pigtails minus the suspenders, glasses, and wheelchair.

"Hi, McKenna," Rachel greeted her with a smile.

"Hi! I'm seven!"

"Kenna," a woman Quinn assumed had to be Artie's mother called. "Come here, let me fix your hair."

"I can't mommy. I'm meeting Artie's friends."

"Oh," she came walking over, bringing her husband with her. "You must be Rachel and Quinn; it's very nice to meet both of you." Mrs. Abrams enveloped both Rachel and Quinn in a warm hug. She couldn't help but wonder why all her friends' parents were so nice to her and why her own parents weren't.

"Glad you could make it," Mr. Abrams said, extending his hand to Quinn. She appreciated the fact that neither one of them had so much as looked in the direction of her baby bump.

"Hey!" McKenna exclaimed, inspecting Quinn's midsection. "Are you having a baby like Mary had a baby?"

"Kenna, hush," her mother warned.

"It's okay," Quinn said. She turned her attention to the little girl, "I am having a baby."

McKenna's eyes grew wide, "Neat!" she exclaimed. Not really the reaction Quinn was used to. "You could have played Mary in our live nativity!" Even Quinn had to stifle a laugh at the irony of the notion of her playing the Virgin Mary. Although as a child she had held the role for seven years straight in the church Christmas pageant.

"Let's go get our seats," Mr. Abrams said, changing the subject and ushering them all into the sanctuary.

As they were standing, waiting to file into a pew, Artie noticed Quinn pulling her jacket over her stomach. "Hey," he said, touching her arm, "wear it proud."

Quinn stopped tugging her jacket and smiled, "Thanks," she whispered.

During the service, in the dim, peaceful quiet of the church, Quinn prayed for the first time since the day the test turned pink. She prayed that her baby would be healthy and that her family would be whole again. She prayed for forgiveness and she asked God to show her the way and help her make the right decisions for her daughter. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she listened to the minister tell the story of Mary and Joseph and their long journey to Bethlehem. She'd heard the story a hundred times before, but this time felt a special connection with Mary, scared and in labor and forced to give birth in a barn. Rachel must have heard her crying, because she took her hand and squeezed it. Quinn wasn't sure what the next year would bring, but sitting in the pew with Rachel holding her hand and Artie on her other side, dressed in the clothes Kurt had chosen for her, she knew that she wouldn't have to go through it alone.

**A/N: Thanks to all my sweet reviewers! Please keep them coming, it makes writing much easier. I hope you all enjoyed it! **


	4. Chapter 4

_~mid January~_

Quinn had always wanted to be a mom. She could vividly remember sitting in the child-sized rocking chair in the corner of her room and singing her baby dolls to sleep. She'd done it almost every night for a year when she was five, cradling them each night before she said her prayers. When she was six and Santana came over for a playdate, they always played house and Quinn was always the mom. Except for the one time Santana got sick of playing the dad and pinched her until she gave in. Quinn swore she'd never talk to her again, but then Santana let her play with the doll in the pink dress and Quinn promised to be her best friend forever. It had all seemed so easy back then; friendship, marriage, babies. She had a plan- grow up, go to college, get a degree, meet a nice, Christian man, marry him, and have lots of pretty babies. Two girls and a boy, but not all at the same time. She _really_ had always wanted to be a mom, but when she was married and ready. Quinn wondered to herself if being un-married and not ready changed the fact that she _really_ wanted to be a mom.

"What am I going to do, little one?" She was lying in bed curled on her side, and she directed the question to her belly. She felt a kick somewhere beneath her belly button, almost as if the baby was answering her. "I'm going to need you to be a little clearer than that." Quinn rubbed the right side of her belly, just where she suspected the baby's back to be. "I know it might not seem like it and it might be hard for you to understand one day, but I love you, no matter what." There was a lump in her throat and her eyes were stinging and she was too tired and too scared to fight it, so she let her tears flow. She felt like the enormity of her situation and the decision she had to make would crush her.

"Quinn?" Rachel's voice sounded groggy. "Are you alright?"

"Go back to bed, Rachel." Quinn said with more harshness than she probably should have. She waited, listening for the door to close but instead she heard Rachel's bare feet pad across the floor. She felt the bed sink behind her as Rachel climbed under the covers. Rachel was silent, and Quinn was beginning to wonder if she was sleepwalking.

"I'm here," she finally said, "if you decide you want to talk."

"I don't want to talk." Quinn insisted.

"Okay," Rachel agreed but she didn't move.

Quinn sighed, "Are you going to sleep in here tonight?"

"Are you going to tell me why you're crying yourself to sleep?"

Quinn was quiet for a long time, "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Mmm," Rachel hummed, if only to let Quinn know she was listening.

"I have all these questions swirling around in my head and I don't know the answers to any of them. Will she hate me one day?"

"If you give her up for adoption?"

The back of Quinn's head moved forward in a nod, "What if she thinks I didn't want her? What if she feels abandoned?"

Rachel sighed. These were big, adult questions and she wished she had big, adult answers for Quinn. "I think when she gets older, she'll understand you only did what you thought was best for her."

"Did you know that when you talk to an adoption agency, they ask you if you want to hold your baby after it's born? If you even want to see it?" Quinn was crying again.

"They do?"

"Yes, and I don't have an answer for that either. I can't imagine giving her away without even seeing her, but I also can't imagine seeing her and then giving her away." Rachel's heart hurt for Quinn. She reached over and placed her hand on Quinn's back. "I wonder what she'll have of me, of both of us really. Will she have my hair, his eyes, my chin?"

"His Mohawk?" Rachel suggested softly, making Quinn smile.

Quinn rolled onto her back and then to her other side so she was facing Rachel. "Do you ever think about your….." she stopped, searching for the right word.

"Surrogate?" Quinn nodded. "Sometimes I do. I'm allergic to strawberries, and neither of my dads is, so I wonder if I got that from her."

"Are you mad at her for giving you away?"

Rachel shook her head, "I was never hers to keep, Quinn. She was helping my dads out. I've always been their daughter, even before I was born. I'm very grateful for what she gave us."

"She is mine to keep though."

"She is," Rachel agreed, "if that's what you want."

"I never intended to fall in love with her, you know? I thought I could stay detached, disconnected. I know it probably doesn't always seem like I love her, but I do."

Even as she said it, Quinn was cradling her belly protectively. "It does always seem like you love her."

"Whatever decision I make, it's going to affect her for the rest of her life."

Rachel nodded, not one to sugarcoat the truth, "You're right, it will."

"What will it feel like on her first birthday if she's not with me? Or her first Christmas? Will I go through my whole life feeling like someone is missing? What will it feel like to miss someone every day for the rest of my life?"

"I don't know." Rachel replied, a tear running down her cheek. She wanted to be strong for her friend, but couldn't control her emotions any longer.

"What if one day she messes up like I messed up and the people I give her to throw her out?"

Rachel shrugged, "Then I guess she'll have her friends to take care of her, just like you."

"What if she wants her mommy and I'm not there?" She didn't answer. "I'm scared, Rachel."

"I know you are," Rachel said, pulling Quinn close to her side in a hug. Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder and it was almost immediately soaked through with tears.

"I can't do this by myself."

"You're not going to."

"Will you be there?" Quinn asked suddenly, almost panicked. "When she's born?"

Rachel smiled, "Even Regionals couldn't keep me away."

Rachel felt Quinn's body relax a little in relief, "Good." She was quiet for a long time, "Hey, Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you maybe stay with me tonight? I don't really want to be alone."

"Of course I can."

* * *

When she was little, Quinn thought a really good friend was someone who always wanted to play what you wanted to play and who had really good toys. Now she knew that a really good friend was someone who held you when you cried and let you get tears and snot all over their shirt and came to your boring OB appointments with you. And she also knew that Rachel Berry was a really good friend.

"A little cold here," the ultrasound tech warned her before squirting gel onto her exposed belly. She placed the ultrasound wand on Quinn's stomach and a loud swooshing sound filled the room.

"What's that?" Rachel asked. She was holding Quinn's hand, sitting exactly where Finn had months earlier.

"That's her heartbeat. It's nice and strong." The ultrasound tech turned the screen a little so Quinn and Rachel could see it. "There's your little girl. Her head's here, you can see her nose really well."

Rachel was staring at the screen, her eyes wide. "Wow."

"She looks like a baby!" Quinn exclaimed, making the ultrasound technician and Rachel laugh.

"She didn't before?" Rachel asked.

Quinn looked guilty, "Not so much."

The tech patted her hand, "It's okay, honey. Lots of moms say that. They don't really start looking like babies for a while."

Quinn smiled softly, "She's pretty, isn't she?"

"She's beautiful." Rachel agreed. "Wait," she said, pointing to the screen. "Is that a Mohawk?"

"What? Where?" Quinn's eyes were wide.

Rachel laughed, "Just kidding."

"Mean," Quinn said with a pout.

"Sorry."

"Do you want me to print out some pictures for you?"

"Yes, please." Quinn said, never taking her eyes off the baby on the screen.

They were sitting in Quinn's car outside of the McKinley high parking lot after her OB appointment when it happened.

"I can't do it," Quinn blurted out.

"We have to go in, Quinn. We have Glee Club later. We brought extra clothes so if we get Slushied we'll just deal with it."

"Not that," Quinn was looking down at one of the ultrasound pictures. "I can't give her away. I'm keeping her." Her voice was sure, strong in her conviction.

"You are?"

Quinn nodded, placing her hands on her belly. "I'm doing this."

Rachel beamed and threw her arms around Quinn's neck, "You're going to be a mommy!"

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Brittany asked, her hand pressed against Quinn's abdomen.

"Sometimes a little, but usually only if she kicks something that's not supposed to be kicked."

"It's so weird, it's like……there's a little person inside of you."

"There is, Brittany."

"Oh." Brittany nodded, "Right."

"You look really good, Quinn." Artie said with a smile.

"Thank you," she returned his smile.

"She should," Kurt said, coming up beside Quinn and putting his arm around her shoulder, "I dressed her."

Puck scoffed from across the room as he watched the rest of the Glee club with Quinn. They all seemed to forget that it was his baby to. Or maybe they didn't care. Artie was right though, she did look good. Beautiful, actually. Puck had always known that Quinn was beautiful, but pregnancy really suited her. Her hair was shinier, if that was even possible. Her face was glowing; her boobs looked really nice, and he found her baby bump incredibly sexy. It was too bad that she'd gotten to be such good friends with Rachel Berry. They were practically attached at the hip and Puck was pretty sure Rachel wouldn't let him get close enough to even talk to Quinn. She was protecting her from him. He knew chicks talked to each other and was sure Quinn had told Rachel about his sexting with Santana. He knew Rachel was not the type of girl to agree with that sort of thing. Watching Brittany feel his daughter kick made his blood boil. He'd never gotten to feel her move. He was missing out on so much and Quinn wouldn't let him in. When Puck first found out Quinn was pregnant, he stole a pregnancy book off his mom's shelf and hid it under his bed. He'd been reading it and had actually learned a lot. Like the fact unborn babies can hear the world around them and will recognize familiar voices after birth. He wanted her to know him, know his voice, not Berry's squawking.

"Look!" Someone was shoving something in his face. That someone was Rachel Berry.

"Berry? What's your problem? You scared the shit out of me."

She glared at him, "Language, Noah!"

He smirked, "What the hell is that?"

"It's a sonogram picture."

"Sheesh, Berry, not you too. That one's not mine." He held up his hands defensively.

She rolled her eyes, "It's Quinn's sonogram, so yes, this one is yours."

"Oh," Puck's expression softened and he took the picture from Rachel so he could see it better. He looked confused, "That's a baby?"

Rachel couldn't help but smile, "Here's her head," she pointed to it. "See her little nose?"

Puck smiled, "She's kinda cute, isn't she?"

"She is, and she needs you. So does she," she tipped her head towards Quinn.

"She doesn't want me. She made that quite clear."

"We're girls. We rarely mean what we say. She wants you to prove that you can be there for them, even if she told you not to."

"I tried to give her all my pool cleaning money…."

Rachel sighed in exasperation, "She wants your support, not your money. She's scared and she's had to make some really big decisions about what to do with the baby and she needs your help."

"Is she keeping her?"

"That's not for me to tell you, Noah. All I'm saying is that Quinn needs you to prove that you're not going to let her down. You got her drunk and you slept with her, step up and be a man." Rachel somehow managed to be incredibly forceful and slightly intimidating, even though she was shorter than him and wearing an obnoxious shade of Bubble Gum pink. "Quinn doesn't ask for help. You're just going to have to give it to her, whether she wants it or not."

"Alright guys, let's get started," Mr. Schue's voice filled the choir room, prompting Rachel to skip back to her seat.

Puck spent most of Glee practice trying to figure out how to help Quinn. He could offer to watch the baby for her, but that seemed kind of pointless until after she was born. He could steal some baby stuff for her. Then again, Quinn didn't like it when he stole stuff. He could go to her house and beat the crap out of her dad for being such a narrow minded ass hole, but he figured beating up your child's grandfather probably wasn't a good idea. He decided he'd have to start small with his help, so he held the door open for her after practice. Is that what Rachel meant by help?

"Thank you," she said as she walked through the door. Her voice was soft and she didn't meet his eyes.

"You're welcome." He watched her, struggling a little to juggle her books. "Here, let me take those."

"It's okay, I've got them," she said firmly.

Puck stopped walking and held out his hand, "Just stop being so stubborn and let me carry your damn books."

She rolled her eyes and considered walking on without him, but instead turned and handed them to him. He _did_ offer, and her back _was_ hurting. "Happy?" she asked.

"Yes."

"What's with the chivalrous act?"

"Can't a guy just do something nice?"

Quinn considered his question. Last time he did something "nice" for her was when he offered to cheer her up after Cheerios practice and they ended up getting drunk and having sex. "I guess," she finally answered.

"Why do you carry so many books anyways?"

"Because unlike you I actually go to class."

Puck smirked proudly, "Oh, right."

By this time, they'd reached her locker. "Well, thanks," she said, flinging her locker door open and extended her hands to take her books back.

Puck was ignoring her, instead staring at the sonogram picture of their daughter she had hung inside her locker. "How is she?"

"Huh? Oh," Quinn said, realizing who he was talking about, "she's perfect."

"Healthy?"

Quinn nodded, "The doctor says she couldn't be any healthier."

"That's good," Puck said, and Quinn could swear she heard him sigh in relief.

"She kicks a lot," Quinn offered. "Rachel swears she's going to be a dancer one day."

"She would say that, wouldn't she?" Almost as if on cue, Quinn felt little feet tapping in her belly. She absently ran her hand over the spot and smiled. Without thinking, Puck tentatively reached his hand out towards her stomach, allowing just his fingertips to graze it. "Sorry," he said, quickly pulling his hand back.

"No, it's okay," She took his hand and pressed it to her. "She's your baby too."

Puck smiled wider than Quinn had ever seen him smile before as his hand was met with their baby girl's feet. "So, that's our baby."

"That's our baby."

* * *

"Can I come in?" Quinn asked from outside Rachel's bedroom later that night.

Rachel was sitting up in bed reading a book. "Sure," she said, putting the book down. "I thought you were asleep already. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," Quinn walked from the door to Rachel's bed and climbed under the covers with her.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you something." Rachel had helped her with the hard stuff, and now Quinn was determined to do the same for her.

"Okay."

"What happened to your sister, Rachel?" Quinn asked, even though she suspected she already knew the answer.

Rachel looked down and smoothed the blanket on top of her to avoid Quinn's gaze, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what happened to her? Where is she? What's her name? How come you never talk about her?" Rachel was silent, so Quinn reached over, taking her hand and squeezing it. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"Her name is Isabella and she died," her voice was so soft that Quinn could barely hear her. "She died when I was 12."

Quinn heard herself gasp, "Oh my God, Rachel. I'm so, so sorry." Her heart ached for Rachel, and for Matthew and Adam who had been so very kind to her.

Rachel continued to stare down at the bed, a spot of moisture developing from the tears falling from her eyes, "She had cancer. She was sick for a while."

"How old was she?"

"15," it had been a very long time since Rachel had talked about Isabella with anyone but her fathers.

"I don't really know what to say," Quinn said honestly. She'd never been so close to death before.

Rachel finally looked up at Quinn and saw that she was crying to, "You don't have to say anything."

"I know," she pulled Rachel into a tight hug and found her own t-shirt soaked with tears and snot. No wonder Rachel was such a neurotic, attention seeking mess sometimes. She probably had to be that way just to get any attention at all with a sick sister around.

"I know what you're thinking," Rachel said, "I've been who I am since the day I was born. My sister's illness had nothing to do with it. I have videos to prove it."

"I wasn't thinking that," Quinn lied.

"Remember when you asked me what it felt like to miss someone every day for the rest of your life? It's a pain that feels almost impossible sometimes. I miss her every day. There's always something that she should be here to see and she isn't. There's always her empty chair at the dinner table." Rachel was sobbing so hard that her breathing was fast and ragged and Quinn worried she might hyperventilate. "No matter how hard I try to pretend like she's not gone and that nothing bad happened, she is and it did."

"Shhh," Quinn soothed, pushing some of Rachel's long, dark hair out of her face and taking both her hands in an attempt to calm her. She searched Rachel's face, trying to get her to make eye contact. Rachel's breath was coming faster and faster and she looked panicked, "Hey, look at me." Quinn's green eyes locked on Rachel's. "Breathe with me, in and out." Quinn demonstrated as Rachel worked hard to slow her breathing down to match Quinn's. "Tell me about her," she requested in attempt to get Rachel to focus on something other than the fact that she was gone.

"She was pretty," Rachel said once her breathing had slowed.

Quinn knew that, she'd seen pictures of them together on the mantel. "What else?"

"She loved life, even when it was hard for her. She was always smiling and laughing. She was smart and loving and she let me crawl into bed with her when I was little and scared at night. She was everything you'd want a big sister to be. Most of all though, she was brave, she was incredibly brave. I think that's what stands out about Isabella in my mind more than anything else, even more than the fact that she's gone." Quinn blinked back tears as she listened to Rachel describe her sister so vividly. "I think you would have liked her."

Quinn smiled sadly, "I'm sorry I never got to meet her."

"Me too."

"Tell me more about her, could she sing?"

Rachel smiled at the memory of her sister, "No, she was terrible." Quinn smirked a little, "She was a beautiful dancer though, even if she didn't think she was. I used to go to her dance class with her and sit with my dads and copy everything she did. It made her so mad."

"Sounds like a typical thing for a little sister to do."

Rachel nodded, "I admired her so much."

"I bet," Quinn said. She had always admired her older sister as well.

"I just want to make her proud, you know?"

Quinn nodded, "I'm sure she's proud of you."

"I hope so."

"Thank you for telling me about Isabella, Rachel. I know it wasn't easy."

Rachel smiled softly at her friend, "Thank you for asking."

"Mind if I sleep in here tonight?" Quinn asked because she knew that, not unlike herself, Rachel didn't ask for help even if when she needed it.

"Of course not." Rachel replied, grateful to not be alone.

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and story alerts. I'm glad that so many of you seem to be enjoying this. I hope you continue to do so. Leave me a note and let me know what you think! This chapter was tough!**


	5. Chapter 5

_~February 5th~_

"No, no, no….that's all wrong!" Rachel hopped down from her perch on top of the piano, "Kurt, stop stepping on Brittany's foot."

"I would be glad to, as soon as she stops sticking her foot directly underneath mine."

"Hey," Brittany said defensively, "it's not my fault you're having trouble with this number."

"Maybe if you spent a little less time plastering your hair with hairspray and a little more time practicing your dance moves we wouldn't be having this conversation!" Santana hissed.

"Back off, Santana" Mercedes said, glaring at her. "Maybe if Brittany wasn't wearing those clunky cheerleading shoes, Kurt wouldn't keep stepping on her foot. Don't you guys ever wear anything else?"

"You don't want to mess with us, Mercedes. You won't win."

"Guys," Rachel interjected, stepping between them, "stop fighting, we're a team. Now let's try it again from the top."

"Who put you in charge anyway? Last time I checked, your name wasn't Mr. Schuester." Mercedes said, taking her anger towards Santana and directing it at Rachel instead.

"I thought we all agreed that we need more practice if we intend to beat Vocal Adrenaline." Rachel replied, unfazed by Mercedes' attack.

"We did," Tina said, folding her legs beneath her and sitting on the ground. "But we're tired. It's almost seven-thirty and we've been practicing since three."

"Seriously, Berry." Puck glanced at Quinn, who was squeezing her eyes shut and massaging the small of her back. "I've got other stuff to do."

"We've got Cheerios practice tomorrow morning at eleven," Brittany added.

Santana raised her eyebrow and looked at Brittany questioningly. "It's at 5:30 am," she whispered.

"Oh, yeah," Brittany whispered back.

"Besides," Kurt said, looking towards Quinn, "are you trying to make Quinn go into preterm labor?"

Rachel looked at her friend, "What do you mean? She's fine."

Artie turned his head towards Quinn, "She doesn't look fine….."

"I am fine," Quinn said forcefully. "Just normal pregnancy stuff." She hated the extra attention and she hated people treating her like she was going to break.

Kurt sighed, figuring Quinn had just destroyed their last chance of leaving the choir room before nine. "I have a history paper I should be writing."

Rachel crossed her arms in front of her chest. She wasn't folding. "Let's try it one more time."

"You've got to be kidding me," Puck shouted.

"We don't have to stay. You're not the boss of us." Mercedes said, heading for the door. The rest of the Glee kids all started talking at once until the noise in the room was almost deafening.

"Stop it!" Quinn yelled and everyone fell silent. "Fighting certainly isn't going to help us beat Vocal Adrenaline."

"She's right, guys…." Finn said, finally speaking up. "Rachel's just trying to help."

"But we're tired," Tina repeated.

"I know," Quinn said, "I'm tired too. We need to compromise. Instead of trying to cram all our extra practice time into Friday after school, why don't we divide it up? Can everyone agree to a couple of hours on Sunday afternoons?"

"Where will we practice? The school's closed on Sundays." Mike pointed out.

Rachel smiled, "My dads converted our basement into a dance studio. We can practice there."

"Of course they did," Mercedes smirked under her breath.

"Only for a couple of hours?" Puck asked to clarify. "I don't want to be locked in Berry's basement until God knows what time every Sunday."

"Three at the most, okay?" Quinn looked between Rachel and Puck.

"Okay," Rachel nodded, "that will be sufficient until we get closer to Regionals."

"Does that work for everyone?" Quinn asked, looking at each of her teammates. They all nodded and Quinn smiled. If she'd learned anything during her years in power, it was how to keep the peace among a group. "Good, let's get out of here."

"I never thought I'd say this," Mercedes whispered to Tina as the group dispersed, "but thank God for Quinn."

"I know," Tina agreed, "I think Rachel was going to keep us here all night."

Rachel busied herself at the piano, neatly arranging their sheet music and notes in pile and trying to ignore the glares being directed her way from some of her peers. "_It's lonely at the top" _she reminded herself over and over again in her head.

"Hey," Finn said, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

Rachel jumped, tossing her neat pile of papers into the air, "Finn, you scared me."

Finn smiled a little. She was cute when she was scared, "Sorry, didn't mean to."

Rachel turned to face him, "It's not your fault. I'm just a little on edge."

"Yeah, it was a kind of tense rehearsal."

"They hate me," Rachel said.

"They don't hate you. If they hated you they wouldn't have come in the first place."

"I'm just trying to help. We really need to work hard if we want to beat Vocal Adrenaline."

He nodded, "I think you just need to work on your approach a little, you know?" Finn was always kind, even when he was sort of criticizing you. "Maybe talk a little less and listen a little more."

"I know, but I don't know how to be any other way." She started to pick her books up off of the piano.

"Here," he said, "let me carry those for you."

"Thanks, Finn." Rachel smiled widely.

"For what it's worth, I appreciate what you're doing for the club."

She looked up at him, "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Quinn watched Rachel and Finn from the other side of the choir room as she collected her things, trying to quiet the feelings of jealousy inside her. Finn was carrying Rachel's books and looking at her like she was the only other person in the room. He used to carry her books and it always made her feel so loved, so taken care of. He used to look sy her like that too, but now he generally avoided glancing her way, and when he did he usually looked like he wanted to cry. He wasn't hers' anymore, she knew that, but it didn't make watching him look at someone else in that way hurt any less.

"Hey, Quinn," Rachel called as she headed towards the door with Finn, "you coming?"

Quinn nodded, "I'll meet you at the car." She bent to pick up her bag off the floor and winced when she straightened.

"Are you okay?" Artie asked coming up beside her.

As tired as she was of that question, Artie sounded so genuinely concerned that Quinn couldn't be annoyed with him, "Yeah, my back just hurts. It's been a long day."

Artie nodded understandingly, "My mom had a lot of back problems before my sister was born." He patted his lap, "give me your bag."

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked. Artie smiled and nodded, so she gently placed her heavy bag in his lap. "Thanks a lot."

"It's my pleasure," Artie said as he started to roll towards the door. "Ladies first," he said, pausing to let her walk out ahead of him. Walking out to her car with Artie, Quinn smiled to herself at the realization that she didn't need Finn to carry her books in order to feel taken care of.

* * *

"Quinn?" Rachel came into her room later that evening. She was curled up on her bed trying desperately to ignore the ache in her back, "Are you asleep?"

"No, just resting." She felt Rachel sit down on the bed beside her.

"I brought you a hot water bottle," Rachel explained before pressing it to the small of Quinn's back. "I thought it might help."

"Thank you," Quinn said appreciatively, not moving from her spot on the bed. The heat did feel good.

"I brought up some dinner too, and some Tylenol. I looked it up, and it's safe to take while you're pregnant."

"I'm not really hungry."

"You need to eat."

Quinn sighed in exasperation, even though she knew Rachel was right. "Fine," she said, sitting up in bed and repositioning the hot water bottle behind her. She took the fork Rachel was holding and stabbed it into a piece of grilled chicken on the plate she was pushing her way. "Happy?" she asked when she was done chewing.

Rachel shook her head, "No, eat some of the broccoli."

Quinn looked at the vegetable in disgust, "The baby doesn't like broccoli." She explained, wrinkling up her nose.

Rachel smirked, "The baby doesn't like broccoli or you don't like broccoli?"

"Both," Quinn answered.

"It's rich in essential vitamins and nutrients. Just eat it."

Quinn rolled her eyes before giving in, "You're kind of annoying sometimes."

"I know. You're kind of a bitch sometimes."

Quinn laughed, "Yeah, I know." Not even Santana was brave enough to tell her that sometimes she could be a bitch. She took another bite of chicken and ate another piece of broccoli to placate Rachel.

"Here," Rachel said, depositing two pills in her hand and handing her a glass of orange juice, "take these."

"Are you sure it's safe?"

Rachel nodded, "I checked three times. It won't hurt the baby." Rachel watched while Quinn swallowed the pills, "speaking of the baby, have you thought about what you're going to name her? Calling her 'the baby' all the time feels so impersonal."

Quinn shrugged, "I'm not sure yet. I kind of want to meet her first. Plus, naming her makes it feel so real. I mean, more real than it already feels with her constantly poking around in me."

"You don't have a list?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"A what?"

"A list of all the names you want to use for your future children. I've been working on mine since I was ten. I revise it every year so it stays current and up to date with trends."

Quinn smiled; of course Rachel had a list of names for her yet to be conceived children. She was willing to bet Rachel also put a gold star sticker next to the names she really, really liked. "I have a few names that I've always liked, but I don't have a list."

"Oh," Rachel paused, "I could help you write one! We could save time by excluding any boy names for now since you're having a girl."

"Maybe tomorrow, I'm pretty tired tonight."

Rachel nodded understandingly, "Of course. Do you think Puck would want to help you pick out a name for her?"

"I don't know, maybe. I'm not sure teenage boys are exactly the best at picking out baby names considering Finn wanted to name her Drizzle."

"Drizzle?"

Quinn laughed, "Yeah, Drizzle, like when it rains just a little but not hard enough to need an umbrella."

"That is a pretty terrible name….."

"Yeah, you may want to watch out for that if you two ever get together and have babies."

"Me and Finn?" Rachel asked in shock.

"Yes, you and Finn."

"We're just friends."

"I saw you two after Glee practice tonight," she nudged Rachel's shoulder playfully, "and that is not just friends. He likes you, Rachel."

Rachel looked down, color flushing her cheeks. "He was just being nice."

Quinn shook her head, "I've been on the receiving end of Finn's affection before and that was not him just being nice."

"Maybe…."

"It's okay, you know. I wouldn't be mad if you two got together."

Rachel looked up at Quinn hopefully, "You wouldn't?"

Quinn shook her head, "You're my friend and I know how much you like him. I also know being with you would make Finn really happy and I want that for him, more than anything."

"You really loved him, didn't you?" Rachel asked, studying Quinn's face.

Quinn shrugged, "I thought I did, but how could I hurt someone I really loved so much?"

"Sometimes they're the people we hurt the most."

"Maybe," Quinn said, 'but it doesn't matter now. I had my chance with Finn and I don't want the fact that you're friends with me to stop you from having yours. Not that you _need _my blessing or anything, but you have it."

"That really means a lot to me."

"You just have to promise not to forget about hanging out with me and Drizzle if you two do start dating," Quinn warned, rubbing her stomach.

Rachel laughed and put her hand next to Quinn's on her belly, "Never!"

"Good," Quinn said with a smile.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Rachel asked, grabbing the remote off Quinn's nightstand.

"Sure."

"Can we watch _Grease_?" Her voice was hopeful.

Quinn groaned, "We've already watched it twice in the past week. Besides, the baby goes all crazy when they sing 'Summer Nights'."

"She's probably just responding to the beat. I told you she's going to be a dancer."

"Maybe so, but I don't feel like having her dance all over my bladder tonight."

"Okay, you pick something."

"How about…." Quinn was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"Rachel," Adam called upstairs, "there's a boy here to see you."

"Oh," Quinn raised her eyebrow teasingly, "intrigue."

"I'll be back," Rachel said, hopping off the bed and bounding out the door. She raced down the stairs and found a tall figure standing in the entryway to her house. Just not the tall figure she was expecting, "Noah?"

"Hey, Berry." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be standing in her house on a Friday night.

"What are you doing here?"

"Gosh Berry, way to make a guy feel welcomed."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "It's nice to see you, Noah. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Quinn. Offer her some support like you told me to. Where is she?"

"She's upstairs resting, she's pretty tired."

"So, can I go up?"

Rachel noticed she was blocking him from the stairs with her body without even realizing it, "Yes. Fair warning though, if you hurt her again you're going to have to answer to me. Quinn has enough to deal with right now without you too."

"Like I said, Berry, I'm just here to support her. I'll play nice."

"You better," Rachel said before turning to walk up the stairs with him.

"Honey," Adam called from the living room, "leave the door open if you're going to take Noah to your room."

"I will, dad."

"They didn't make us leave the door open last time I came to your house."

"Yeah, well, that was before they knew you'd gotten a girl pregnant."

Puck shrugged, "Fair enough."

"Hey," Rachel said, pushing the door to Quinn's room open, "Noah's here to see you."

Quinn looked towards the door, "Puck?"

Rachel nodded, "Want me to send him home?"

"No, it's okay."

Rachel pushed the door open further and let Puck walk in, "I'll be in my room if you need anything." She pulled the door behind her, closing it almost all the way. Rachel figured that since he'd already gotten Quinn pregnant there wasn't too much more trouble they could get into behind a closed door.

"Hi," Quinn whispered shyly once Rachel left.

Puck flopped down on the bed beside her, "Hey." He shoved the paper bag he was carrying towards her, "I brought you ice cream. Pregnant chicks like ice cream, right?"

Quinn didn't really appreciate being called a chick, but she nodded and looked into the bag anyway, "Chocolate peanut butter?"

"I know it's your favorite."

"Thank you." She studied his face, "Did you come all the way over here just to bring me this?"

Puck shrugged, "I wanted to check on you, you looked like you were in a lot of pain earlier at practice."

"I'm okay, the baby's just growing and stretching muscles and stuff."

"Oh," Puck paused, "roll over on your side."

"What?"

"Roll over. I give a mean back massage."

Quinn scoffed, "I bet you do."

Puck sighed, "You're so damn stubborn, just do it. It's just a backrub, not like I asked you to marry me or anything."

Quinn's lips formed into something between a pout and a smirk. She was trying really hard not to laugh at the image in her head of Puck down on one knee. "This better work," she said before turning over.

"It will," Puck said. She felt him scoot up close behind her. They hadn't been this close since the night their daughter was conceived.

Puck's hands reached for the hem of her shirt, "Over the shirt!" She warned him sternly. He'd certainly heard that one before, but he complied and put his hands on her shirt instead of her skin. He felt her muscles tense when he touched her.

"This isn't going to work unless you relax a little."

"Sorry," she said taking a deep breath.

"It's fine," Puck replied, massaging the small of her back with his strong hands.

"That actually feels really nice," Quinn said after a few minutes.

"I told you I was good."

"You're right, you are." Puck could tell from her voice that she was smiling, even though she wasn't facing him.

"Call the press, Quinn Fabray admits that she was wrong!"

"Be nice!"

"This is me being nice," he said. They laid in a comfortable silence together for a while before they were interrupted by a muffled voice on the other side of Quinn's wall. "What the hell is that?"

"It's Rachel," Quinn explained, "and watch your language. The baby can hear you."

"Sorry," Puck said, sounding as genuine as she'd ever heard him sound. "What's she doing?"

"She's practicing the monologues she uses when she auditions. She does it every night."

"Isn't Berry driving you crazy yet?"

Quinn shook her head, "Rachel's my friend."

"I know, but…."

"But nothing. Nobody's perfect."

"Aren't you tired of listening to show tunes?"

Quinn shrugged, "I kind of like them."

"You could come stay with me."

"Puck," Quinn said before rolling over so she was facing him, "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because this," she rested her hand on her baby bump, "is all I can deal with right now."

"I'll help you."

Quinn shook her head and Puck knew by the look on her face that she was about to really dig her heels in, "I like it here. Rachel's kind of like a sister to me now and it's fun. Besides, her dads are basically the nicest people ever."

"I have a sister. If you come live with us, you can have her."

"Puck, I'm not moving in with you"

"I want to be a part of this," he said, reaching out and placing his hand on her stomach. "She's my kid too."

"I know she is, and you can be a part of this. I'm jut not going to live with you. End of discussion." She pursed her lips and turned her nose up a little. He wondered if she knew just how goddamn irresistible she was to him when she pursed her lips like that.

"Nothing I can do to change your mind, huh?"

Quinn shook her head and some of her hair fell into her face, so Puck reached up and tucked it back behind her ear. She smelled like vanilla and her lips looked so perfect in the dim light of the room that he found himself scooting closer to her, cupping her face in his hands. Her heart was pounding and the baby was kicking her like crazy and it suddenly occurred to Quinn that Puck was going to kiss her. He had been so sweet and looked so handsome lying there that she almost let him. "Rachel!" she yelled just before his lips met hers'. "Puck brought ice cream over, do you want some?"

"Sure," Rachel called back, "I'll get some spoons."

"What did you do that for?" Puck asked as Quinn righted herself in the bed.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I just can't."

"I know," he looked sad.

She took his hand and squeezed it, "Thank you for coming tonight, and thanks for the backrub and the ice cream. It was really sweet of you."

Puck nodded, "anytime."

"I brought three spoons," Rachel said, coming into the room and climbing onto the bed on the other side of Puck. "What flavor is it?"

"Chocolate peanut butter," Quinn answered.

"Excellent choice, Noah!"

"Thanks, Berry," he said, leaning his head back against the headboard. When Puck imagined lying in bed with two girls he'd made out with before, this was certainly not what he had in mind.

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I hope you liked it! If you're reading this story and haven't left me a comment yet, please do so! And if you have, keep it up! 3**


	6. Chapter 6

_~ Mid-February~_

"Ugh," Quinn groaned as she peeled back the covers on her bed and prepared to climb in. "Bed, finally." She'd had a long day at school and an even longer evening at glee practice and was silently begging the baby to let her get at least three hours of sleep before starting in with her nightly kicking. She was so desperate for some sleep she would have offered her unborn daughter a pony if she thought it would keep her still. Quinn had just slipped her legs underneath the blankets when she heard a noise outside her window that startled her enough to cause her to get up and investigate. As she crept towards the window it started to slide up and she backed herself up to the wall, slowly making her way towards the bathroom door, planning her escape into Rachel's room.

"I'm pregnant," she said, "you can have whatever you want, just please don't hurt me."

"What in the hell are you talking about, Quinn?" Puck's mohawk appeared in the window, followed shortly by the rest of him. "It's just me."

"Jesus, Noah Puckerman, you scared me half to death." He knew he was in trouble when she cursed _and_ called him by his full name, so he braced for impact. She left her position against the wall and was charging at him full speed. Once she reached him she smacked his arm, hard. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

He held up his hands in defense, "Hey, hey, I come in peace." He took a paper bag out of his backpack and offered it to her, "I brought ice cream."

She grabbed the bag from him, "Couldn't you just use the front door like a normal person?"

He shrugged, "I didn't know if Berry's dads wanted me in your room. Besides, I feel more bad-ass climbing through your window like that."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "One, Rachel's dads don't care if you come visit. Two, I'm pretty sure they'd prefer you use the door instead of scaling the side of their house like some criminal. And three, I don't think you'll feel very bad-ass when you fall off the side of the house and break your arm."

"Aww," he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her to him gently, kissing the top of her head. "You're worried about my safety. That's sweet."

She groaned and pushed him away, "I'm not worried about your safety I'm worried about the Berry's siding. And your ability to properly perform the lifts we're doing in glee."

"Ouch," Puck said, clutching his chest and pretending to be wounded. "You're crabby tonight."

She sighed heavily, "I know, I'm just really, really tired. Your kid kicks all the time."

He raised his eyebrow, "Suddenly she's my kid?"

"When she's acting up, yeah, she's your kid."

"If you're so tired, why don't you just go to bed?" Girls honestly made no sense to him most of the time.

"I was until you decided to add breaking and entering to your long list of illegal activities."

Puck ignored her, "Well, I'm done 'breaking and entering', so you can go to bed now."

"I can't. You're still here. Besides, I can't let perfectly good ice cream melt, can I?" Her steely expression softened and she smiled at him.

"There are two spoons in there," he said as she opened the bag, "so don't go calling Berry." He'd learned his lesson the last time after he'd spent a two hours sandwiched between the girls on the bed, listening to Rachel babble on incessantly over just about any topic she could think of.

"Okay," Quinn said, sitting on the bed and handing him a spoon, "you can stay. But only for the ice cream." She'd learned she needed boundaries when it came to Puck or she could quickly get herself in over her head.

"Fine," he said, kicking off his shoes and flopping down on the bed beside her.

"What are you doing out so late anyway?" she asked, spooning some of the cold chocolate ice cream into her mouth.

"Buying dip," he replied.

Quinn wrinkled her nose in disgust, "You're going to have to stop that once she gets here, you know."

"Okay," Puck said simply.

She furrowed her brow, "Just like that? Okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'll give it up now if you want."

"Seriously?"

"Sure," he said, getting up and throwing the can of dip out of her open window.

She smiled, "Thank you. But you know you're going to have to pick that up off the lawn before you leave, right?"

"I know," he said, joining her back in bed. He stuck his spoon into the carton and picked up one of the sonogram pictures lying on Quinn's nightstand. "Are you ever going to let me come to one of these things?"

"What things?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Your doctor's appointment so I can see our kid."

Quinn shrugged and pointed to the sonogram picture, "She's right there."

"Gee, thanks for pointing that out," he replied sarcastically. "I want to actually see her. Hear her heartbeat and stuff."

"Don't you think it would be kind of awkward?" Quinn looked uncomfortable at the mere thought of the idea.

"Why?" he asked with a sly grin.

She sighed, he knew exactly why. "God, you're going to make me say it, aren't you? They don't just check the baby….they check other stuff too."

Puck shrugged, "So? It's not like I haven't seen it all before. I did put that baby inside you."

"Puck," she squealed louder than she had intended, "you are a disgusting pig."

He smirked, pleased with her reaction. It was the dance they did. They both knew the steps perfectly and executed them like trained professionals. He'd say something offensive and pigheaded, she'd get upset, and then he'd turn around and do something so completely romantic and charming that she'd forget why she was ever mad at him in the first place. It was _their_ dance, a dance so uniquely Puck and Quinn that it worked for them, even though it shouldn't have. "You let Rachel go with you."

"Rachel comes because she's my friend. She doesn't have an ulterior motive like you. Besides, she sits by my head."

"I'll sit by your head," he offered quickly. "Scouts honor."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "You were never a boy scout, Puck."

"You're right, the uniforms were too dorky. But I do promise I'll sit by your head. I really just want to see our kid. Please?"

She looked into his eyes and knew instantly that he meant what he was saying, "Maybe. We'll see."

"You're so damn stubborn, Fabray," he teased, playfully pushing her arm.

She laughed, "You're pretty stubborn yourself, Puckerman."

"Can't argue with you there," he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "Our kid is screwed."

"If being stubborn is hereditary then we're the ones who are going to be in trouble."

"They don't start out stubborn though, right? At least we'll have some time to figure it out."

Quinn nodded, smiling contently at his use of the word 'we'. "Yeah, I guess we will," she said, fighting desperately to stifle a yawn.

He studied her face and noticed the dark circles under her eyes, "You really are tired, aren't you?"

"I really am. I just want to sleep but she kicks all night long," she placed her hand on her stomach.

"Come here," he said, wrapping his strong arms around her and pulling her so close to his side that her belly was pressing into him.

Somehow they had gone from sitting on her bed eating ice cream to lying in her bed snuggled up together under the covers within a matter of seconds. Quinn's brain knew it was a bad idea, but her body and heart were not listening. There go those boundaries, she thought to herself. Right out the window along with Puck's chewing tobacco. She rested her head on his shoulder, "I could fall asleep just like this."

He kissed the top of her head, pausing for a moment to breathe in the scent of her hair. It smelled like strawberries and was completely intoxicating to him. "Go ahead."

"I can't. What about Rachel's dads?"

"They make a habit of coming into your room in the middle of the night?"

"Of course not," she replied, somewhat defensively.

"I'll be gone before anyone sees me," he promised as his hand found its way to her belly underneath the covers and tugged gently at the hem of her shirt.

"Puck….." she warned.

"Relax," he whispered, his warm hand resting on her skin, on their baby. "Just close your eyes and get some sleep. I'll try and keep the kid calm. It'll be good practice." He rubbed soft circles on the swell of her abdomen with his thumb.

Puck felt Quinn's body relax in his arms and he knew he had her. "You're not nearly as bad as you like people to think you are, Noah Puckerman."

"Neither are you," he replied. "Does that mean I can stay?"

She didn't say yes, but she didn't kick him out of her bed either. Instead, she rested her hand on his chest and snuggled in closer to his body. He was going to take that as a yes.

* * *

Quinn rolled out of bed after hitting the snooze button for the second time. Puck was nowhere to be seen, the indentation he left in her bed the only evidence he'd been there the night before. She walked over to the window and peered out just to make certain that he wasn't lying in the Berry's backyard in a heap of broken bones. He wasn't, so she padded quietly over to the full length mirror in the corner of her room, lifting her shirt and examining her belly closely. She sighed in relief, no stretch marks….yet. "Don't grow too fast, okay?" She whispered, running her hands over her stomach. "I'd still like to be able to wear a bikini after you're born." Satisfied enough with the state of her skin, she pulled her shirt back down and set out to find something to wear. She stood staring into her closet for a good ten minutes before deciding on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Getting dressed for school had been so much easier when she'd been a Cheerio. It had also been easier when she wasn't the size of a house.

"Good morning, Quinn!" Rachel chirped cheerfully when Quinn walked into the kitchen after she'd finished getting ready.

"Morning, Rach," she replied, grabbing a bowl from the cupboard and fixing herself a bowl of cereal.

"Guess what today is," Rachel asked excitedly. She always had so much energy in the morning that sometimes Quinn wondered if she'd actually given up Terri's special 'Vitamin D' pills.

Quinn poured herself a glass of orange juice and then topped off Rachel's glass before returning the bottle to the fridge, "Umm, Wednesday?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed, "Well, yes, but it's also the 17th. That means it's only two more months until your due date."

"God," Quinn said, carefully climbing onto the barstool next to Rachel's, "that sounds so soon."

Rachel nodded in agreement, "That also means it's less than two months until regionals!" She shook her finger playfully at Quinn's belly, "which means you, young lady, cannot come early." The competition for regionals fell on April 10th, a mere week before Quinn's due date, and Rachel had taken to reminding the baby almost daily when she was not to be born. She turned her attention back to Quinn, "are you excited?'

"About regionals?" she asked once she was finished chewing her cereal.

She shook her head, "No, about the baby."

Quinn shrugged, "More terrified than excited. Being pregnant sucks, but it's really the easy part. She's so easy to take care of right now. I kind of wish she could just stay with me like this forever."

Rachel nodded understandingly, "I know, but it'll be okay. You'll have lots of help."

Quinn smiled sincerely, "I know."

"Noah seems like he's trying."

She nodded cautiously, "He is."

"He came by last night, huh?" she busied herself with rearranging the bowl of fruit sitting on the kitchen counter.

Quinn's cheeks flushed pink and she nodded, "We didn't do anything though."

Rachel shrugged, looking indifferent, "It's not really my business, but I know you didn't. The walls are pretty thin."

"He didn't even try anything."

Rachel looked surprised, "He didn't? That's…unusual for him."

"I know. He told me he'd give up dip too. He was actually really sweet." Quinn smiled wistfully. Rachel knew that look; it was the same one she got when she thought about Finn.

"That's really good, Quinn. Just be careful, okay? This is Noah we're talking about. I just don't want you to get hurt."

The wistful smiled faded from Quinn's lips and she nodded, "I know, I can't deal with a relationship with him right now. I just want him to be a good dad."

"Sometimes people can really surprise you," Rachel looked at her and smiled and Quinn felt like Rachel was talking less about Puck and more about Quinn.

"That's for sure," she said, returning Rachel's smile.

Rachel glanced at the clock, "We better leave for school or we'll be late. Are you ready?"

"Give me a sec," Quinn said before pouring the rest of her orange juice into her mouth. "Okay, let's go," she turned to Rachel, but she was already in the living room.

"Hey, can you grab the twenty dollar bill of the counter? Dad left it for us since we have to go to your first birthing class tonight and we won't be home for dinner."

"Ugh," Quinn groaned, grabbing the money off the counter, "is that tonight?"

"Yes, it's tonight. You know, Quinn, you should really invest in a good daily planner. If you had one, you wouldn't forget things like your birthing classes or your due date."

Quinn caught up to Rachel in the living room, "Why would I need one of those when I have you to remind me?" She asked, throwing her arm around her friend's shoulder.

Rachel giggled, "Good point."

"Do we really have to go tonight?" Quinn whined.

"Of course we have to go. It's an important class, Quinn."

"Can't I just figure things out once I go into labor?"

Rachel looked at her indignantly, "I don't think relaxation and breathing techniques are something you want to just 'figure out' once you're in labor."

Quinn sighed, "I guess you have a point."

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Rachel offered, sliding into the passenger seat of Quinn's car.

"Maybe," Quinn said with a shrug.

* * *

As soon and she and Rachel walked into the classroom at the hospital, Quinn decided that going to a childbirth class when you were sixteen and pregnant was just about the most awkward thing in the world. She and Rachel were surrounded by married couples and she felt (and probably looked) very much like a child playing make-believe compared to them.

"Here," Rachel said, directing her to the table, "we need nametags." She printed her name neatly on the sticker and then reached into her bag and placed a gold star sticker after her name.

Quinn grinned. Rachel Berry was a lot more fun to be around if you could find her many quirks entertaining instead of irritating. "You always do that, huh?"

Rachel nodded, "It makes a statement. Do you want one as well?" She offered Quinn her pointer finger, which had a gold star stuck to the end of it.

"Sure," Quinn said, taking the sticker from her and pressing it to her nametag.

"Come on," Rachel said, grabbing Quinn's hand and dragging her to the front of the room, "let's get a good seat."

Quinn tossed the pillows and blanket she was carrying onto the floor and slowly lowered herself down "Making pregnant women sit on the floor is cruel and unusual punishment," she muttered to Rachel.

Before Quinn could stop her, Rachel was waving enthusiastically at the couple seated beside them. "Hi," she said, "I'm Rachel and this is my friend Quinn."

"Hello," the woman smiled sweetly, "I'm Sarah and this is my husband, John. Is this your first?"

Rachel nodded, "Well, her first," she pointed to Quinn. "I'm just here for moral support."

Sarah smiled and looked at Quinn, "Your first? How exciting! This is our sixth."

"Wow," Quinn replied. She didn't want to be rude, but also didn't want to engage the woman further with anything other than one word answers.

John glanced at Quinn's McKinley High bag. "Do you teach at McKinley? We have a daughter in ninth grade there. It's an excellent school."

For a minute, Quinn considered lying to avoid the extreme awkwardness of what was to follow. "No, I go there," she replied simply. She'd been judged harshly enough by her own parents, what were two more sets of judgmental eyes?

Sarah was taken aback, "Oh, well, best of luck to you, honey." Her face was sweet but her tone was condescending and she quickly turned her attention away from the girls and back to her husband.

Rachel whispered into Quinn's ear, "It's their sixth and they're still taking this class? You'd think they would have gotten the hang of it by now." Her tone was light, but she must have realized Quinn was hurting because she took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Quinn smiled and silently thanked God for Rachel. "I know," she whispered back. "Besides, six kids is a lot. You'd think they would have figured out what caused pregnancy by now."

"Alright," the nurse standing at the front of the room announced, "let's get started. My name is Gayle and I'll obviously be teaching this class. Who here is becoming a first time parent?" Quinn raised her hand and glanced around the room. There was a smattering of first timers around her. "Good, welcome to the class. We're going to have a lot of fun but we're also going to learn a lot. I always like to start out the first class with a little trivia, so here's a question for you. How far apart do contractions need to be before you really head to the hospital?"

Rachel's hand shot up and the woman pointed to her. "Five to six minutes," she answered confidently.

"Very good, that's exactly right." Gayle proceeded to ask more questions, and each time Rachel shot her hand in the air excitedly. "Anyone else besides Rachel?" she finally asked. A dad in the back row raised his hand and Gayle sighed in relief.

Quinn smirked at Gayle's obvious annoyance with Rachel's enthusiasm. She was grumpy and uncomfortable from having to sit on the floor and had already decided that she didn't like the class and by default she didn't like Gayle.

"I know most classes like this usually start out the first day with breathing and relaxation techniques, but I do things a little differently." Gayle continued on once she was done with her trivia questions. "So tonight, we're going to jump right into things and watch a video of a birth."

"Ugh," Quinn groaned quietly. She hated blood and she certainly didn't want to be stuck with a mental picture of what was going to be happening to her for the next two months. Gayle turned the lights down and Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder for support. "I really don't want to see this," she whispered quietly, "can we please leave now?"

"I know you don't," Rachel rubbed Quinn's back comfortingly, "but we have to stay because this is something you're going to have to deal with eventually."

Quinn sighed, "Don't remind me."

* * *

"Well, that was….." Rachel said as she walked with Quinn to the car after their class.

"Awful? Horrible? Disgusting? Traumatizing? Scary?" Quinn rattled off every negative adjective she could think of.

"It was…" Rachel struggled, rarely at a loss for words.

"Just say it. It was horrible."

"Yeah," Rachel nodded, "it was horrible."

"Here," Quinn tossed her the keys, "would you mind driving? I'm feeling kind of light headed."

Rachel took the keys and climbed into the driver's side of the car, "You okay?"

Quinn nodded, "I'm fine, that was just brutal. Did you see the size of that kid's head?"

"Unfortunately, yes, I did." Rachel grimaced at the thought.

"And what they did to that poor woman, what was it called? And epis…" Quinn paused, searching for the correct terminology.

"Episiotomy?" Rachel offered.

"Yeah, that! I don't want one of those," her lip quivered and her panic turned into tears. "I'm really scared, Rachel."

"I know it's scary," she said, taking both of Quinn's hands in her own, "but you're not going to have to do it alone. I promise I'll be with you the entire time."

"You will? Even after seeing all that?" She asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Of course I will, Quinn. You're my friend and I made a promise to you. A little blood isn't going to scare me away. Okay?"

Quinn nodded and sniffed, "I want an epidural before I go into labor."

Rachel laughed, "I don't think they do that."

"Well they should!"

Rachel figured Quinn had calmed down enough, so she let go of her hands and started the car, "I agree!" She glanced over at Quinn, who was typing furiously away at her phone. "Who are you texting?"

"Puck," Quinn replied. "I asked him if he had a big head when he was born." More accurately, she'd said _'Do you have any idea how horrible giving birth is? I'm going to kill you next time I see you. P.S. did you have a big head when you were a baby?-Q'_

"What did he say?" Rachel asked, just as Quinn's phone buzzed in her hand.

Quinn read off Puck's text, _"Yeah, I guess."_ He'd apparently chosen to completely ignore her threats of murder.

Rachel rolled her eyes, "He's a man of very few words."

"Do you think that since Puck had a big head that our baby will have a big head too?"

"Honestly," Rachel said, "all babies kind of have big heads."

Quinn sighed, "That's true." She paused for a beat, "Do you think they'll let me schedule a C-Section?"

"Quinn…" Rachel said as gently as possible, "I'm not sure that's the less painful alterative. It's major surgery."

Quinn nodded, "I know. It just all feels so overwhelming right now. Men should have to go through pregnancy and labor too. It's not fair."

"I'm pretty sure if that were the case, the population would just die out," Rachel said with a giggle.

Rachel had barely turned off the car after pulling into the driveway when Quinn hopped out. "Sorry, I have to pee," she explained, rushing to the front door.

"Hey," she called into the house once she'd gathered all their stuff from the car, "We're home."

"We're in the kitchen, baby. We're just frosting some cupcakes if you and Quinn want to help," Adam called.

"How was your night?" Matthew asked when Rachel came into the kitchen.

"Can't talk now," she replied, grabbing her dad's address book and the computer and setting to work. "I'm busy."

Adam looked at Matthew and shook his head, "Everything okay, sweetheart?"

"Busy!" She reminded him.

"Hi," Quinn said with a wave as she walked into the kitchen.

"Quinn," Matthew took her hand, "you look exhausted, honey. Take a seat." He led her to the barstool and helped her sit.

Adam placed a freshly frosted cupcake in front of Quinn, "Perhaps you could enlighten us as to why Rachel is frantically searching the internet."

"I'm looking for a place to order flowers on-line, dad." Rachel explained.

"Who do you want to send flowers to?"

"Eliza," Rachel answered, using the actual name of her surrogate.

Matthew furrowed his brow in confusion, "Rach, you know we send her flowers every year on your birthday, but that's not until the end of July."

"We had to watch a video of a birth at that class we went to tonight," Quinn stated simply.

"Oh," Matthew said, understanding dawning on his face. "And you just want to send her an extra little thank you?"

Rachel nodded, "What she did wasn't easy at all, daddy."

"You're right," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I think it's sweet that you're thinking of her and want to show her how much you appreciate what she did."

Adam glanced at Quinn who was staring dejectedly at her half eaten cupcake, "You okay, sunshine?" He pushed another cupcake towards her, "I'm guessing after the evening you've had that you could probably use another one of these."

She smiled softly and nodded, "Thank you."

Rachel hopped onto the barstool next to her and grabbed a cupcake, "Quinn's just kind of freaked out now."

Matthew wrapped his strong arms around Quinn in a comforting hug, "Oh sweetie, I know it's probably terrifying for you."

Adam took a picture frame off the countertop and placed it in front of Quinn, "I think this might help even more than that extra cupcake."

Quinn looked at the picture and saw two much younger versions of Adam and Matthew standing next to the hospital bed of a woman who looked very much like Rachel. She held a tiny pink bundle in her arms. "Is that Rachel?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes," Matthew beamed, "wasn't she beautiful?"

Rachel blushed, "Daddy….." She whined in annoyance.

"Yes, our baby was gorgeous," Adam said, looking at Matthew, "but that's not really the point. This picture was taken maybe 15 minutes after Rachel was born."

Quinn studied the picture closely, Eliza was positively glowing. "She looks pretty happy considering she just had a baby."

"That's exactly my point! No one is going to lie and tell you that labor is going to be easy, Quinn. But the good news is it doesn't last forever and once it's over, you'll have a beautiful baby to hold and nothing else in the world will matter." Adams eyes got misty just remembering the birth of Rachel and it made Quinn's eyes water as well.

"Does that help a little?" Matthew asked, tucking a stray strand of Quinn's blonde hair behind her ear.

"It helps a lot," she said, standing to hug both Matthew and Adam. "Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome, sweetheart. It's really our pleasure," Adam replied with a smile.

"Why don't you girls go watch a movie or something, Rach. It'll help take Quinn's mind off things. We'll make you some popcorn."

Rachel looked at Quinn, "You want to?"

She nodded eagerly, "Sure! That sounds like fun."

"I'll even let you pick," Rachel said as she slid off her barstool and offered Quinn her hand so she could get down as well.

"Okay," Quinn thought for a moment, "how about _West Side Story_?"

Rachel raised her eyebrow, "We don't have to watch a musical if you don't want to."

"I know that, but I want to."

Rachel clapped her hands excitedly, "I'll go put it in the DVD player."

Quinn smiled broadly as she watched Rachel bound happily into the living room. Watching a movie she knew Rachel loved may have been a small gesture, but it sure felt good to be able to do something nice for her friend.

**A/N: Once again, sorry this took so long. I hope you all enjoyed! I want to see if you guys can make it to 50 reviews (I know you can, because you're awesome). Bonus points if we can make it to more than 50 reviews.**


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Glee, Friendship